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Archive for the ‘Vintage Fabrics’ Category

First there was rayon, then nylon. They weren’t very lovable, despite the hype promoting their advantages. Thanks to technology not only have they become acceptable, but they laid the groundwork for generations of new synthetics. For some reason, early rayon and nylon tend to be passed over by most vintage fabric collectors. They are not suitable for quilting nor heirloom sewing nor much in demand for street wear…

Just when you think you have it down pat and can confidently state that this is lawn and this is muslin and this is percale and feel smug about your expertise, along comes a clunker. My first clunker was reading a 1933 Sears catalog which listed cambric in its percale section and which I thought somewhat strange. The description then went on to say that its finest percales had a cambric finish and collectively ca…

Vintage collectors will not mince words – nothing exceeds the quality and diversity of old trims and laces, whether expensive or dime store stock. This was due in part to the use of fine fabrics such as batiste, cambric, lawn, organdy, silk and rayon and the exquisitely fine, clean-cut embroidery on eyelets, cutwork and other designs. As up through the 1950s trims were an integral part of garment and home décor,…

Late 1880s to 1919 Part I The First Sewing Machine -Arthur’s Illustrated Home Magazine, No. 6, 1873 A correspondent sent us the following account of the first sewing-machine invented and constructed in this country. The “ingenious machanic” was, we believe Elias Howe, afterward so famous. The account, she tells us, is cut from a newspaper printed about twenty-five years ago (ed. note — c1848). I…

In the British world of antiques, a divy is a diviner, one who can tell it’s the genuine article upon sight. Perhaps you’ve experienced a shiver down your spine when you find a vintage fabric; you just know it’s old and the real thing at first glance. So, your divy instincts having performed admirably, you know you have something old, but exactly how old and and exactly what is it? Fabric identifi…

Note: this column was to have been about fabrics with dual personalities. However, a reference book I need for this subject hasn’t arrived so that topic will be postponed until April. Meanwhile, spend some quality assurance time with your vintage stash. Are you guilty of fabric abuse? Is the Fabric Rights Protective League breathing down your back? Are you ready to take the pledge? Then this column is for y…

Image via Flickr As we were updating the information in our Vintage Fabric section here at Fabrics.net we discovered web sites that we had forgotten. Many of these web sites have been updated too so we found new information. If you enjoy learning more about Vintage Fabrics or enjoy looking at the styles of yesterday we are happy to share these new/old web sites. Kent State University Museum where …